Pop of Color

All photos by Michelle Stromberg

Do you feel pressured to wear more color but don't feel comfortable dressing in it head to toe? To me, color is great but not necessary. There are plenty of celebs (and us regular folks) who manage to look pulled together and stylish in a wardrobe of neutrals. Jennifer Aniston comes to mind. In fact, nine times out of 10 I reach for black. There's a reason women the world over stick to black as a wardrobe staple: it looks chic, it's slimming and it goes with everything!

My advice: Rather than wear colors that don't feel comfortable to you, add little pops of color to your outfits with accessories. Ann Taylor Loft has a super cute fuchsia flower belt right now. Wear it with a black skirt and chambray button down.
And, I love these Amrita bangles (only $68 for 30 bangles). Add a colorful vintage brooch to the neck of a halter as I did in this post; or to the pocket or breast of a blazer. Another way to add color: Wear a patterned scarf or carry a colored purse.
If you're intent on incorporating color, experiment with a darker palette of navy, plum and deep red. I love the look of navy with black, now a fashion do! Also, consider grey instead of black and camel instead of brown. Both look fresh but are still neutral.

Here's how I worked color into a plain black dress (albeit a leather dress, see below for the story of the dress--there's always a story.) By the way, neons and bright color accessories like these were shown on the Spring runways.

My Diva Pose:)

The Outfit Deets
Dress: OK, the dress is the DVF Della dress in leather. I first wrote about it here. But, it was just a tad (actually more like 5 tads) out of my price range. So, I stalked it and when I finally got a coupon for the DVF Friends and Family sale, I combined the discount with a store credit that I've been holding onto for a year, and pounced. I'm glad I did. It's a classic wrap style, not too short and even though it's leather it's not crazy leather--meaning it's subtle, not slutty. I know I will wear this dress for years.

My Fashion Rule.
Not only that, but one of my fashion rules is that if I can't stop thinking about an item after a couple weeks, then it was truly meant to be mine! Trust me, this really works. I've saved must-have items in my virtual shopping cart and forgotten about them the next day only to go back and think, "Why did I even like that?"
On the flip side, there are items that I just can't get off my mind, and I'll plan endless variations of how I'll wear those items. And, that happens less frequently than you'd think.
Shoes: DVF Eva Suede with Silk Ankle Wraps in Citron. I know this seems like an impractical color but it really isn't. I will wear these shoes like I would a neutral shoe, with both blacks and browns.
Bangles: Luc Kieffer Paris Bangles bought on eBay. I love that they are chunky and bright.